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41 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What region does El Nino occur? |
El Niño is a naturally occurring event in the equatorial region which causes temporary changes in the world climate. Originally, El Niño was the name used for warmer than normal sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America. |
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What are some consequences if global warming continues? |
More frequent and severe weather, higher death rates, dirtier air, higher wildlife extinction rates, higher sea levels, acidic oceans, and many other consequences would occur if global warming continues. |
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What natural event would cool the earth’s atmosphere? |
volcanoes |
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How have human beings altered the Sulfur Cycle? |
The burning of coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels has greatly increased the amount of S in the atmosphere and ocean and depleted the sedimentary rock sink. |
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What is the greenhouse effect? |
A phenomenon in which the atmosphere of a planet traps radiation emitted by its sun, caused by gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, and methane that allow incoming sunlight to pass through but retain heat radiated back from the planet's surface. |
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What would happen to earth without the greenhouse effect? |
The Earth would be too cold for us, because greenhouse gases allow solar radiation to reach the Earth’s surface and trapping it from the Earth on the way back to outer space. |
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What percentage of the Earth’s water is fresh water? |
Three percent is found in glaciers and ice, below the ground, in rivers and lakes |
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What greenhouse gas is a by-product of anaerobic respiration? |
Methane , CH4 |
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In the nitrogen cycle, what is the primary abiotic nitrogen source? |
soil |
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What factor is responsible for the earth having four seasons? |
The tilt of the Earth causes there to be four seasons. Due to the angle a certain part of Earth will have the sun directed to it more, causing it to be summer, and the part of it that is least directed to Earth causes it to be Winter. |
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Why is phosphorous a limiting factor in ecosystems? |
Phosphorus is a limiting factor because under many conditions, phosphorus forms stable insoluble compounds |
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What factors cause sea levels to rise? |
Thermal expansion (warming of oceans) and loss of land-based ice (glaciers/ice sheets due to increased melting) |
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What are the two main processes in the carbon cycle? |
Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration. |
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List the greenhouse gases. |
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons. |
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Over the last 100 years global temperature has increased or decreased? By what percentage? |
Increased by 1.53 degrees fahrenheit. |
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What is a positive mechanism associated with climate change? |
Any change in the environment leading to additional and enhanced changes in that system is the result of a positive feedback mechanism |
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Where can phosphorous be found in large quantities? |
crop fields and soil/rock |
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What does the P stand for in ATP? |
phosphate |
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Is Table salt organic or inorganic? |
NaCl is an inorganic compound and is the chemical formula for sodium chloride, which is commonly known as salt or table salt. Inorganic compounds do not contain carbon and are made of two or more elements other than carbon |
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Where is the most nitrogen located in an ecosystem? |
Nitrogen forms about 78 percent of the atmosphere. |
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What process removes carbon from the earth’s atmosphere? |
Photosynthesis, respiration, and combustion. |
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Human activities have changed the water cycle. How? |
Humans have changed the water cycle because we control most of the water in the world, by building damns, reservoirs and deforestation. |
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Carbon is released back into the atmosphere in numerous ways. Name them |
photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, natural weathering of rocks, and the combustion of fossil fuels |
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What is the ultimate source of energy in a terrestrial ecosystem? |
the sun |
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What is the most abundant gas in the earth’s atmosphere? |
nitrogen |
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What contributes to global warming? |
Burning Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and fossil fuels, and changes in the sun’s energy output. |
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What keeps the poles from becoming colder? |
The ocean beneath them is warming. |
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What are some solutions to reducing CO2 in the atmosphere? |
Becoming more efficient and not use so many fossil fuels, not using all resources left on Earth. |
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What is the main factor that is causing sea levels to rise? |
Ice caps in the ocean melting due to global warming |
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Photosynthesis is a major source of what gas in the atmosphere? |
carbon dioxide |
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Define: photosynthesis |
a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that can later be released to fuel the organisms' activities |
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eutrophication |
a form of water pollution. Cultural eutrophication also occurs when excessive fertilizers run into lakes and rivers. |
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decomposition |
the state or process of rotting; decay |
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transpiration |
the process by which moisture is carried through plants from roots to small pores on the underside of leaves, where it changes to vapor and is released to the atmosphere |
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denitrification |
a microbially facilitated process of nitrate reduction that may ultimately produce molecular nitrogen (N2) through a series of intermediate gaseous nitrogen oxide products |
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assimilation |
the combination of two processes to supply cells with nutrients |
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ammonification |
the process by which the organically bound nitrogen of microbial, plant, and animal biomass is recycled after their death |
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nitrogen fixing |
a process in which nitrogen (N2) in the Earth's atmosphere is converted into ammonia (NH3) |
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nitrification |
biological oxidation of ammonia or ammonium to nitrite followed by the oxidation of the nitrite to nitrate. |
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Which organisms convert ammonia to nitrites? |
Nitrosomonas |
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Which organisms convert hydrogen into ammonia? |
bacteria |
